By Mike Uslan

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Foursquare Convention Connection 2016 in Honolulu

During the weekend of June 1st, the Hawaii Convention Center was ground zero for Foursquare Convention Connection 2016. I did not attend but have watched several videos and heard lots of first hand accounts from my many friends who were there.

Doing the Haka (ha’a) for Jesus?

It took me a while to find the actual archive of all the videos from that weekend on the foursquare.org/convention website but they are here. https://vimeo.com/album/3885992

When you search through the videos, the entire weekend is there, but before we discuss certain events at the convention in more detail, lets me first give a little more background to the topic at hand.

I remember in 1994 when reading this book “Perpetuated in Righteousness” by Daniel Kikawa, I would meet a person that would become a life long friend of mine to this day. This person is Mike Oppenheimer. He broke down the problems in Kikawa’s book for me person to person. I can roughly summarize, but for all the information, see Mike Oppenheimers original work on this teaching found here Perpetuated in Righteousness or Perpetuating a Modern Myth

Basically Daniel Kikawa in his book “Perpetuated in Righteousness” teaches the concept that the Hawaiians were descended from the ancient Jews and held a belief in God identical to Christianity without it ever being revealed to them by any missionaries or ever having the Old or New Testament!

I could have told Mike Oppenheimer it was bunk right away. I just don’t see Jews as a tribe or nation getting on canoes and sailing all around the Pacific doing the ha’a and the hula but lets see what else Kikawa says.

Daniel Kikawa goes on to propose in his book that the Hawaiian’s knew God from the “gospel in the stars”. In his book Perpetuated in Righteousness he states that the Hawaiian’s gods, Kane, Ku and Lono were the one God called Io, who is actually Yahweh; that all three are co- equal.

This is garbage equal only to the Jehovah Witnesses who taught the pyramids in Egypt also held the gospel message!

While a few of the more devout bible students may be thinking “hey, this might be what is referenced in Rom.1:18-25″, Well what Romans 1 actually tells us is that when mankind sees the evidence of God’s power in nature, they naturally suppress it, and change it into a lie, worshipping the creation and creatures instead of the Creator. The Hawaiians were no different until the Word of God came to them via the New Testament. The Hawaiians needed the bible just like we need it still today.

Where does it ever say in the Bible the gospel was written in the stars? The point that Kikawa is trying to make is that the Hawaiians, (“descendants of the ancient Jews” according to only Kikawa), knew about God, Jesus His Son, His plan of sacrifice, and the resurrection. He says that they learned all of this by looking at the stars and they called his name Io, Lono, Ku, and Kane?

I love the Hawaiian people and have many lifelong Hawaiian friends but yeah guys, this is a lie.

Watch this above video from about the 3:50 mark pastor Matt Higa from New Hope Kauai teaches that “Io” is Jehovah God and was a trinity with three persons in him. Matt Higa goes on to cite “Raiders of the Lost Ark” as a reference!

Was that the book of 1st or 2nd Spielbergs? I’m going to need a reference I don’t have my “New Hollywood Translation” handy. Fast forward to 7:25 in the video and find out exactly who Matt Higa’s spiritual mentor is, he tells us he is sitting right there in the audience with them, none other than “Daniel Kikawa” the author of the 1994 book “Perpetuated in Righteousness”. Wow!

At 14:00 through the video, I believe that’s possibly Daniel Kikawa himself sitting in his chair as the rest of the crowd is singing around him in Hawaiian. Daniels picture can be found here on the Aloha Ke Akua website.

OK, so this stuff may have been slipped into the Foursquare convention unbeknownst to Foursquare or maybe it is being openly taught at some Four square and New Hope churches in Hawaii. I do not know but only what a few friends of mine are saying. Rumors are just those, rumors. I prefer to use facts so instead of guessing or only sidetracking and complaining, let’s say we just stick to the facts?

Facts are good, OK. Go to the bottom of the same webpage with Daniel Kikawa’s picture (Aloha Ke Akua website.) and lets start there. Who really endorses Daniel Kikawa and supports him and allows him to teach and spread around this myth in our beloved churches? We get our first clue here. It appear the entire website is being endorsed by; Libby Carolan IMPACT Center – University of the Nations. Ok, who is this?

Hmm, now I don’t know who Libby Carolan is but the University of the Nations (UofN) is the YWAM (Youth With a Mission) missionary training center in Kona, Hawaii. I have been going to a Calvary Chapel for the past 25 years and while we don’t let Daniel Kikawa preach or sell his books there, we do know who YWAM is. Danny Lehman who is the YWAM Director in Honolulu YWAM has been a personal friend of mine and a pillar of the Calvary Chapel Hawaii movement. Many of us are all very familiar with YWAM and UofN. Maybe it’s all just a mistake that it seems YWAM/UofN is promoting Daniel Kikawa? Well the webpage tells us to click over to the “about” page so let’s go there and see what this “Aloha Ke Akua” is really all about.

When we get to the ABOUT page of the Aloha Ke Akua website (Daniel Kikawa) we scroll down to find several endorsements. (Hey there’s Leon Siu! He and his wife Malia were my neighbors in Aiea a really long time ago).

Aha, ok so if we keep looking and we start to find several more YWAM endorsements. On the Advisory Board of Aloha Ke Akua ministries we find none other than JOHN DAWSON / PRESIDENT OF YWAM, and TOM HALLAS / YWAMS FIELD DIRECTOR both advising and endorsing Mr Kikawa.

Why is this and exactly how deep does this rabbit hole go? Is there just nothing to see here and is this just another guilt by association argument like Bud and Bill keep trying to tell me? By even mentioning this will I be asked to leave Calvary Chapel like what happened to Mike Oppenheimer?

Now, before everyone gets all excited here or too overly emotional that our sacred cows have been offended, lets try to stay on point, “order in the court” as they say. What we are talking about is simply this.

During the first weekend of June of 2016, in front of 3000 Bible believing Christians at a foursquare convention in Honolulu, Our God was profanely referred to by the names Io, Lono, Ku and Kane. Go back and watch the video again. That’s why I have the original video linked. That’s exactly what Matt Higa pastor of New Hope Kauai says. It’s at 3 minutes 50 seconds where Matt Higa tells 3 thousand people “Io is Jehovah God and the trinity is Lono, Kane and Ku”. Matt Higa then references a scene from “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” as his proof. Go watch it again. That’s what he says.

This is why people don’t want to go to our churches nowadays and I can’t blame them. People know when their logic and sensibilities are being assaulted.

Matt, if you get forwarded my blog and read this you are welcome to contact me. If you got something you would like to say, go right ahead please explain yourself. I try to not make things personal and can really be a fun guy to hang out with but whatever man, you have several choices.

Ignore me, hope i go away (i do typically get bored with things quickly and often move along so this might be your best bet, however you will still have to answer to the One whose name you continue to profane)

Defend yourself. This would certainly be the most entertaining option but I prefer #3.

Try to get the video removed then lie about it but i really don’t recommend that. Too many witnesses already.

I don’t have a dog in this fight. Matt you go ahead and do whatever seems right in your own eyes. I predict #1 will work just fine for both of us… (i still prefer 3) Anyway, moving right along.

For the record the Hawaiians did not worship “One God” or a triune God either, but a plethora of deities, demigods and goddesses. This “Lono and Kane is really Jesus and the Holy Spirit” nonsense must sound just as silly to the Hawaiians of the old religion just as much as we believers of the one true and living God. Here is an image which includes a few more of the Hawaiian deities and demigods of old. I don’t see my favorite Hawaiian Superman “Maui” on there, so safe to say there are even more gods than this mentioned in the old Hawaiian religion.

No trinity here!

Now I have friends that are routine blasphemers and all sorts of other hell raisers & I still love them and respect their constitutional right to blaspheme and raise hell but i won’t let you bring it in my home or my church. Yes, in America you can still worship any deity or demigod or angel or your own self or a stuffed animal or whatever it is that floats your proverbial canoe. Just to be clear I am not hating/condemning/judging anyone. Just for the record, I support having weird friends and enjoy all my friendships, especially my friendships with those who don’t believe exactly the way I do. They are the ones who make me think the hardest!

What I am doing is holding the churches accountable. The churches that claim to be the holders of God’s Word and God teachings and take our children from us on Sunday and Friday nights and fill them full of these heretical myths need to be more careful and more discerning. Who is vetting these teachers we allow onto our pulpits? Anyone?

Since this problem doesn’t seem to be going away, this is what I think we need. First of all from Foursquare and New Hope. and last from Calvary Chapel. I would just like some clarity on the Aloha Ke Akua movement.

For me YWAM is being perfectly clear. They DO ENDORSE Aloha Ke Akua and Daniel Kikawa. YWAM corporately doesn’t need to explain anything.

So I couldn’t help myself. I have known Danny Lehman for years and have his cellular number so before I would write something I might later regret I thought I would just give him a call. I just finished speaking with him and basically the long and short of it is this. Danny Lehman said;

Danny Kikawa is his friend but he doesn’t agree with everything Kikawa has said or written and can not personally vouch for him.

I have weird friends too and Danny Lehman is always fun to talk to. I told Danny I disagree with him on several positions he made during the phone call but overall he and I see eye to eye on several other things. Iron sharpens iron and hopefully Danny Lehman remains open to talking with me again in the future.

Now can Foursquare, New Hope and Calvary Chapel please do the same? Just say Aloha Ke Akua YES/NO. You can even just tweet it if you want. This should not be so hard.

Last thing I want to say is that Hawaii is a small place and the churches are even smaller. I know Leon Siu, Danny Lehman and several pastors in several churches and I count them all as nice people who were very friendly to me so I can not and don’t want to be rude to them in return. All I am looking for is clarity and some accountability.

Finally, I am not a bible teacher but would like to offer up one bible verse for Daniel Kikawa and Matt Higa who so affectionately like to identify themselves with the Jews. Take a lesson from us. One thing we learned a long time ago was this.

Thou shalt have no other gods before me.4Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

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2 thoughts on “Foursquare Convention Connection 2016 in Honolulu”

Great article Mike. You are very gracious in your analysis of this debacle. The sword of truth continues to fall and divide. Let’s make sure we are on the right side for He is separating the sheep from the goats. Are these damnable heresies spoken of in 2 Peter? Wolves in Sherpa clothing finally being revealed? God bless you brother. Fly safe.

Paul thanks for the comment. Yes 2 Peter is clear. We are warned that false teachers SHALL BRING in damnable heresies. It doesnt say might or maybe or maybe not. It says SHALL BRING… I have another applicable scripture for you Paul. “and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to myths” 2 Timothy 4:4 and also 1 Timothy 1:3-4: “As I urged you … you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith.”… In Kikawa’s book when he tries to fit the Hawaiians into the Jewish nation this is exactly what I believe is being spoken of in the books of Timothy. These are “myths and fables consisting of endless genealogies which cause disputes”. Aloha my brada, See you soon!